On February 9, 2026, the Supreme Court sharply criticized the Election Commission (EC) for using "very restrictive" software tools in West Bengal's special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists. Justice Joymalya Bagchi pointed out that these tools do not allow for normal name variations found in Bengal, such as 'Roy' and 'Ray', or common middle names like 'Kumar'. The Court questioned why voters were getting notices for such small omissions. The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, asked the EC to extend the deadline for the claims-and-objections phase of the SIR by one week, beyond the current February 14 date. The Court also instructed West Bengal's Director General of Police to submit a personal affidavit addressing claims of violence and document burning at SIR centres. Further, the Court directed the EC to use a new batch of 8,505 personnel offered by West Bengal's government, following an assurance from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. These officials will assist as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs (AEROs). Micro-observers will support them but may not make final decisions. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the West Bengal CM, said micro-observers were overtaking EROs in decisions and lacked local knowledge. The Court heard that about 1.4 crore people were under "logical discrepancies"—including minor name mismatches and inconsistent family details. Of these, 70 lakh voters were called for hearings despite being previously registered in 2002. Divan accused the EC's software of causing mass exclusions by blindly relying on computer checks. The EC's counsel, senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, dismissed these complaints as exaggerations but admitted some notices might have gone to voters correctly mapped to old rolls. Justice Bagchi stressed that even voters with minor issues were receiving notices, creating wide-ranging challenges. The Court underscored the need to balance technology and ground realities to avoid unfair voter removals.